Friday, March 21, 2008

Old Fogey's Mashed Smackers


Old Fogey has started to collect examples of the worst screen kisses.
Made me smile. I always feel sorry for those poor actresses in old movies who get swept into the hero's arms - and then bent backwards for the kiss; with the tight girdles/corsets and high heels they were wearing, it must have been extremely uncomfortable, not to mention precarious.

I wonder if they ever toppled over? Or fainted? I bet all that 'swooning into his arms' business had a more prosaic explanation than paroxysms of passion: vice-like foundation undergarments, sweltering layers of flannel and silk and cotton, and then being forced into backbreaking contortions by some fervent man with a tickling mustache, as he tried to suck your face was what was knocking these ladies for six. Keeling over or going limp at least stopped your ribs getting broken, and if you were lucky, might get someone to unloose your stays and fan you down as well.

5 Comments:

Blogger Autolycus said...

AND they had to keep one foot on the ground...

March 21, 2008 8:10 pm  
Blogger Rachel said...

Heh. Like that old story about the ladies college where the door had to be kept open and all feet kept on the ground if a male visitor came to a gel's study.

So most people lost their virtue standing up behind the door.

March 21, 2008 8:18 pm  
Blogger Rachel said...

Oh, and everything Fred Astaire did, Ginger Rogers did backwards. Wearing high heels.

March 21, 2008 10:08 pm  
Blogger Old Fogey said...

Rachel - I don't know if you have seen it, but I have just posted on Fred and Ginger - I'm on Fred's side!

March 22, 2008 11:01 am  
Blogger Unknown said...

Nice piece of movie history deconstruction.

March 27, 2008 5:34 pm  

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